They Just Don't Know You

Chapter 24

Perrie's POV

Thursday, October 3

I get to Kamille's house half an hour later and I hear shouting as soon as I step on to the driveway. It's too early for her parents to be home, and anyway, they're not yellers. Kamille's the only Purcell who ever raises her voice. But it's not her making all that noise. 

Nobody answers the doorbell, so I push the door open and step into the Purcell's living room. The first thing I see is Jade, sitting cross-legged in an armchair, her eyes wide as she surveys the scene in front of us. Kamille stands barefoot next to the fireplace, hands on her hips, looking defiant. Sairah is across from her, a candlestick gripped in one hand and an expression of pure rage distorting her usually serene features. 

"I'm going to kill you," Sairah shrieks, drawing her arm back threateningly.

"Stop being so dramatic," Kamille says, but her eyes don't leave the candlestick.

"What the hell?" I ask, and they both turn towards me. 

Sairah's furious expression briefly recedes, then comes roaring back like a tidal wave. "Oh, her too? You've got the entire Scooby Gang here while you lay this bullshit on me?"

I blink. I've never heard Sairah swear before. "What bullshit?"

Kamille speaks before Sairah can. "I told her I know all about Jonnie, and I'm going to tell Mom and Dad if she doesn't explain why they're both back in Echo Ridge." She takes an involuntary step back as Sairah fastens her with a withering stare. "It's going a little worse than I expected."

"You have some nerve-" Sairah brandishes the candlestick for emphasis, but stops in slack-jawed horror when she loses her grip and sends it flying directly towards Kamille's head. Kamille is too startled to move out of the way, and when it clocks her in the temple she drops like a stone.

Sairah's hands fly to her mouth. "Oh my God. Oh my God, Kam. Are you alright?" She falls to her knees and scrambles towards her sister. But Jade, who I never even saw move, is already there.

"Perrie, can you get a wet towel?" she asks.

I stare down at Kamille. Her eyes are open, her face paled, and a stream of blood runs down one side of her head. "Oh no, oh no," Sairah moans, her hands covering her face now. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." I fast-track it to the bathroom and grab a hand towel, then run it under the tap and jam back to the living room.

Kamille is sitting up now, looking dazed. I hand Jade the towel and she gently pats up and down the side of Kamille's head until the blood is cleared away. "Is she going to need stitches?" Sairah asks in a shaking voice.

Jade presses the towel to Kamille's temple for a few seconds, then pulls it away and peers at the cut. "I don't think so. I mean, I'm no expert, but it's actually tiny. Looks like one of those shallow scrapes that just happens to bleed a lot. It'll probably leave a bruise, but it should be fine with a plaster."

I breathe out a laugh at the British translation of a Band-Aid. "I'll get one,"I volunteer, returning to the Purcell's bathroom. Dr Purcell is an obstetrician and her medicine cabinet is so perfectly organised, I find what I need within seconds. When I return this time, some of the colour is back in Kamille's face. 

"God, Sai," she says reproachfully as Jade positions the plaster on her temple and presses down. "I didn't realise you literally wanted to kill me."

Sairah slumps back, her legs tucked to one side. "It was an accident," she says, skimming her fingers across the hardwood floor. She looks up, her mouth half twisted into a wry grin. "I'm sorry for drawing blood. But you sort of deserved it."